How many calories can you burn with one hour of weight training?

A number of circumstances determine just how many calories you can burn with one hour of weight training.

The intensity of your weight training workout, your body's current conditioning and what was consumed before your workout will all be the most crucial factors that will give you the maximum calories per session.

You will also have to consider how heavy the weights you use are and exactly how long you are lifting versus resting during a workout.

How does weight training yield such great results?

Even if you use very light weights, you can expect to burn approximately 500 calories per hour of weight training.

Taking into consideration the fact that no-one can spend an entire 60 minute session lifting weights without resting, beginners can expect to exercise for about half of the time that they are weight training.

Depending on how fit you are, you may be able to lift weights for an additional 5 or 10 minutes per session, thus increasing the calories burned per hour.

Adding heavier weights to your routine will cause you to burn more calories, but it is much as important to maintain the number of reps you are able to complete as it is to use heavier weights.

You can intensify your weight training routine by doing simple exercises while incorporating the use of light hand weights. If you are working with a trainer, he or she will be able to show you a number of exercises that will help you to meet your goals without the risk of injury.

Here are a few examples of calorie burning strength training exercises:

Lunges – This exercise involves deep knee bends and works the thighs and gluts. Adding a set of hand weights will increase the intensity and get your heart rate going.

Squats – Using two light dumbbells, you will gain a stronger core and a better center of gravity.

Kickbacks – Using one hand to steady yourself, you can use one hand weight as you complete a set of kickbacks to work on your bicep muscles at the same time.Bicep Curls – Doing a couple of sets of bicep curls while walking or jogging, you will be able to get a complete workout in half of the time it normally takes you.

You should use hand and/or ankle weights in order to get a high intensity workout. Stretching, warm-ups and 10 to 15 minutes of cardio before weight training is also recommended. Take your time, and slowly add heavier weights to your routine to get your body acclimated to a more serious strength training regime.

Of course, these are all estimates of the number of calories that are burned during an hour of strength training. There is a precise formula that you can use to figure out the amount of calories burned, but it is somewhat complicated. For the sake of clarity, the average person can expect to burn approximately 10 calories per minute of actual weight training when using 5 pound weights. Using conservative estimates, weight training can actually cause you to burn more calories per hour than cardiovascular exercises.

How does my meal plan affect the calories I burn while weight training?

Most experts agree that weight loss is approximately 80% diet and only 20% exercise. That said, you can make vast improvements to your body and overall health profile by weight training, even if you are only working out 1 day a week. \

t is very important to make sure that you eat meals that will maximize your workouts, both before and after strength training. Stick to carbohydrates before you embark on any type of exercise routine, and consume a protein rich snack directly after working out.

Not only will eating healthy meals give you more energy so that you can weight train more vigorously, it will also help you to burn more calories even once the workout is over. You will send your body into shut-down mode and your muscles will deteriorate if you do not eat regularly.

While an exact number of calories burned from exercising after eating can be given, check the scale often to see how much progress you have made.

The number of calories that you will burn while strength training will ultimately increase as your session becomes more intense. Eating a good meal before and after workouts will jumpstart your metabolism, give you more energy and allow your muscles to easily regenerate. Overall, weight training will give you great results as long as you keep up with your planned workout schedule.

Use the exercise finder to locate the exercises that will help you meet your goals now!